In some current smartphone implementations, the notification protocol used by the smartphone to communicate with smart devices connected to the smartphone is prevented by the operating system from forwarding user notifications, such as text messages, email, etc., directly to applications residing on the smartphone. For example, currently the Apple Notification Center Service (ANCS) allows Bluetooth accessories connected to an iOS smartphone through a Bluetooth low-energy (BLE) link access to some notifications generated on the iOS smartphone. However, ANCS does not allow the iOS operating system to forward user data sent to the iOS layer to go directly to applications for consumption. While this creates greater trust that applications are not allowed to take advantage of a smartphone user's data, such outright prohibition disables a variety of scenarios in which it might actually be useful and desired by the user to have one or more applications have visibility into such data.